Sick Babies

Well, it seemed like a normal day today. Dave took Ethan to school, I had errands to run with Robyn & Aidan. Once we were on our way to Costco, I realized Robyn wasn't her usual self. She was whiny and sleepy and flushed, despite the cold, (high 30s). She had a feever and after I picked up Ethan, I put her down for a nap. Ethan started moaning, groaning, and crying that he was sick, too. I didn't really believe him at first, but both he & Aidan fell asleep for a pretty long nap, indicating they were both feeling sick as well.

Nothing like all your kids being sick at the same time!

Mutant Grapefruit!

Dave brought this home the other day as a "surprise" for us. It's actually called a pummello, but it is in the grapefruit family. It tastes like a grapefruit, only sweet. We really enjoyed it!

I love technology, (but not as much as you, you see)

A little shout out there for you Napoleon Dynamite fans. We were getting ready to go somewhere in the van and Ethan grabbed his gameboy to play on the way. Both Aidan & Robyn complained loudly in their own ways that they didn't get to play with it as well, so we found them each their own gadget to play with. It was a very peaceful trip!

Ethan's Favorite Christmas Gift

Ethan has been asking for Indiana Jones Legos for almost a year, so this was the big climax for him as far as opening presents went.

Aidan's Favorite Christmas Present

Every time my sister-in-law, Dawn babysits Aidan his favorite thing to do is play with his cousin's Little People Farm & animals. Dawn let us know when she saw it on sale at Target, so that's what we got him for Christmas. As you can see, he really loves it. :)

Some Christmas Pics

Robyn wore those shoes all day. As you can see, Dave is enjoying the kids' remote control cars more than they were. Aidan thought the tree was pretty bare, so he put all the stuffed animals up on it.

Our 2008 Christmas Letter

I'm being lazy this year and posting our Christmas letter, rather than trying to send them all out. Enjoy!
December 2008

Dear Friends & Family,
It has been another eventful year for our family and time flies when you’re busy! We started out the year with Ethan & Aidan bouncing off the walls with excitement and adoration for their new sister, then 3 month old little Robyn Dale. Now that the year is almost over the only difference is that she joins them in bouncing off the walls. Robyn started walking in September, a month before her first birthday. She is also a little parrot who has learned many new words and a few signs. What she enjoys most is spending time with her brothers. Her favorite time of day is when Daddy comes home and she runs to the door and puts up her arms for him to pick her up. Needless to say, she, like her brothers before her has him completely wrapped around her little finger.
Aidan turned 4 in September and is always asking me how to spell different words. He has also learned his colors very well and his speech has improved vastly through the year. We had him evaluated by a psychiatrist who said he appears to have Pervasive Developmental Disorder, (which is on the autism spectrum) and ADHD. We plan to do more extensive testing with a Developmental Pediatrician. Despite his developmental issues, he is a warm, affectionate, sweet boy who loves his brother and dotes on his sister. He always has Dave and Me laughing with the things he says and does.
Ethan turned 6 in May and began 1st Grade in August. He is very bright and has no problem making friends. He is especially good at spelling and reading, (I get to take credit for those genes) but needs a little work with his math, (sadly, I have to claim those genes as well). He’s getting very good at playing games on the internet and his favorite website is lego.com where he plays the Indiana Jones game. He still teases his brother like there’s no tomorrow, but he’s also very helpful with his baby sister and makes a great “go-fer”. He’s always the one who gets Robyn when she wakes up in the morning and he’d carry her around all day if I let him.
Amanda is still the 1st Counselor in the Relief Society at church and in charge of the book club. She also has a meal group that meets once a week to exchange meals and recipes. She spends most of her spare time not cleaning or doing laundry, like a good wife, but reading, reading, reading. Luckily Dave loves her enough to let it go, (most of the time) and be content with the way things are.
Dave started out the year a little roughly. As you all know with the housing market the way it is, it’s not the best time to be a self employed real estate appraiser. He was out of work for quite a while, but we always managed to get by. Someone would always have an odd job for Dave and he found himself pressure washing driveways, or painting houses, or installing air conditioners. Someone always had something for him to do, and eventually, a wonderful man in our ward at church gave him full-time work with his handyman/contracting business. He loves working with Brother Morgan and has learned so much. He is also still the Elder’s Quorum President.
We took about a month in the summer and drove all the way to Utah to spend time with family. We stayed with friends and family along the way and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to keep the costs down. It was a great trip and we had many memorable experiences, such as feeding the mutant prairie dogs at a rest stop in Wyoming and checking each other for ticks in Missouri. People said we were crazy to make that trip with 3 young children, but I honestly can’t wait to do it again.
In August we found out we were, (surprise!) pregnant again. I always seem to be pregnant. We are all excited to bring another amazing spirit into our already crowded home. It’s amazing how your capacity for love grows with the size of your family. We are so grateful to Heavenly Father for giving us this opportunity to have even more love in our home.
We love you all and hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s Holiday this year.
Love,
The Pickards: David, Amanda, Ethan, Aidan, & Robyn